Anyone ever bought from Lang Antiques?

[OldAndMine]

Hi there. I am new around here but have been lurking for many years. Not sure if I should start a new thread or carry this one on. I am a long time fan of anything antique and have fallen in love with the Old Mine Cut many years ago. I heard good things about Lang, so I have been looking through their stuff recently. I have also been reading some feedback about Lang in this forum. It seems from the comments of others their service is very good, their product range and quality amazing, but their prices is on the high side. What I would like to hear more about is whether their relatively higher prices are justified and whether their descriptions of their diamonds in particular are "generally" accurate, given that some stones can't be removed from their setting without taking too much of a risk and that examination of stones in their settings can not be done to the same level as those which can be removed. I looked through their website and reading about their staff members they seem to be very well staffed with qualified and experienced gemologist. I know that as with all antiques it can be hard to quantify "quality" and therefore "justified price". I suppose I am talking "on average". I prefer stones with their original settings (or settings with their original stones), although I understand that "original" can also be hard to establish as there is no real way of telling if some stones have been swapped around their settings many years ago. If there is in fact a way to establish this, do rings with original setting and stone command a premium price? Thanks in advance for your comments!

 

[Sky56]

I was in San Francisco last week and after having looked at their website many times for drooling purposes, I made it a priority to visit their store. Their window has a gorgeous display of antique jewelry and there is lots more in their small shop. The shop was busy. I walked in and a woman asked if she could help and we started chatting. She showed me several rings I had pointed out as liking. I was not there as a serious buyer, just looking. I was impressed with how she treated me; it was a very pleasant experience. It is definitely worth a visit if you are in San Francisco. It is convenient from the Market Street or Chinatown areas.